Okanagan Falls residents will get to have their voice heard in 2025 when they decide whether or not to incorporate as a village. 

The results of the final incorporation study were presented to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board of directors on Dec. 19 with the recommendation of setting up a referendum on the question next year. 

The recommendation received unanimous approval from the board. 

Okanagan Falls Director Matt Taylor praised the efforts by the consultants and the incorporation committee to put together feedback and the study. 

"This has been at least a 10-year process, and there have been previous studies in the 80s and 90s," said Taylor. 

Other directors, including Princeton Mayor and Director Spencer Coyne, also praised the study's findings and echoed the call that the time for a referendum was long due. 

"I used to sit beside your predecessor and I used to rib him all the time, 'Just incorporate already,'" Coyne said. "I think this has been a long road and I think the community is ready to make a decision."

An exact date for the vote has not been determined yet, but Taylor expressed his hopes that it would be in the spring, allowing for a by-election in the fall if incorporation is approved. 

That would give the by-elected first council time to get the new municipality's bylaws and staff in place and established ahead of the next municipal election in 2027. 

The fate of the remaining portions of the Okanagan Falls Electoral Area that aren't part of the proposed municipal boundaries is also unclear at the moment, with Director Helena Konanz putting forward the suggestion that it may be better to merge them with an existing area instead of adding another new director to the board table.

The RDOS is now preparing a communication plan that will be rolled out to break down the impacts of incorporation for residents, including the potential tax increase that would result.